Gutter protection system

ABSTRACT

A gutter protection system includes a foam insert which is installed in the hanging gutters of commercial and residential buildings. The gutter insert allows rain water to drain into the gutters, yet it prevents debris from entering the channel and clogging the gutter pathway. The foam insert includes antimicrobial and/or UV stabilizer additives to improve the useful life of the foam insert.

The present invention relates to rain gutters, and particularly toinserts for preventing the blockage of open trough portions of raingutters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rain gutters and water channeling devices are an integral part of almostevery residential and most commercial buildings. These man-made waterpaths serve to collect rain water from the roof of said buildings andredirect that water stream away from the building and discharge it insome way through downspouts on the building. These channeling systemsnot only prevent water runoff from damaging the property around thebuilding, but they also carry the water to locations not likely toendanger the structure of the building through water seepage orfreeze/thaw circumstances.

Since many homes and buildings are in some way surrounded by trees andother naturally occurring shrubs, it is critical to insure that thedebris from these trees does not enter the water channeling system ofthe home or building. Should there be a collection of leaves, pinecones, pine needles and the like along with expected roof particlerunoff in the gutter channels, it is very likely that the channel willbecome clogged and certainly will be less efficient in the redirectionof rain water. This gutter clogging and reduced water flow can only leadto structural damage to the building over time as water levels continueto rise and overflow the channeling system. In severe freeze/thawconditions, the damage caused by high water levels in these guttersbecomes more complicated and poses an even greater risk to thebuilding's structure. In short, unless these gutter systems are keptfree flowing and open to the redirection of rainwater, they may becomean ongoing problem and maintenance issue for the homeowner or buildingmanager.

As a result of the foregoing, there are a number of cleaning proceduresthat need to be undertaken to keep these gutters free of debris. In mostcases, the homeowner will try to “free the gutters” in a number of waysand may take risks that are unnecessary to insure that these waterchannels are free flowing and open. At a considerable expense, somebuilding owners will hire outside contractors to simply come to thebuilding site and “clear the gutters” in any way possible, so as toprotect the long term integrity of the building.

Existing efforts to solve the foregoing problems include various screensor similar gutter guards. Prior products also include foam liners andfiller elements. Potential issues with these prior foam products includedegradation and shrinkage of the foam over time as a result of UV raysfrom the sun and microbial action on the structure of the foam itself.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome theforegoing drawbacks and provide a gutter protection system that includesa reticulated foam having an antimicrobial and/or UV protectantadditive.

In one example, a gutter protection system comprises a reticulated foaminsert adapted to fit within a gutter. The insert has at leastsubstantially the same width as the gutter, and the foam insertcomprises an antimicrobial additive. The antimicrobial additive may beincorporated in the reticulated foam or it may be coated onto thereticulated foam. The foam insert may further comprise a UV stabilizeradditive that may be incorporated in the reticulated foam or coated ontothe reticulated foam.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a gutter filter foam matrix which can beinstalled in the hanging gutters of commercial and residentialbuildings. In particular, the invention relates to a gutter filterdevice that is fitted to a variety of commercial gutter channels in sucha way as to allow rain water to drain into the gutters yet preventdebris such as leaves, pine cones, pine needles, twigs, loose roofingparticles and the like from entering the channel and clogging the gutterpathway. Importantly, the foam includes antimicrobial and/or UVstabilizer additives to improve the useful life of the foam insert.

In one example, a material that is low density (about 0.5 to 3.0lbs./cu. ft.), thermally reticulated, polyether urethane foam matrix,with a pore size of 10 to 75 pores per inch, can act as an extremelyeffective rain gutter anti-clog system for residential and commercialbuildings.

The thermal reticulation process allows the foam matrix to rapidly drainwater through the material and allows for maximum air circulation for afast drying, gutter filling medium. The physical properties of theurethane matrix such as tensile, tear and elongation factors are alsoenhanced by the “thermal reticulation” process and allow for a multitudeof fabrication or cutting techniques that are common to the urethanefoam industry.

The foam gutter insert is a product that is easily fabricated fromstandard bun stock into any number of specific shapes and geometricconfigurations to fit the geometry of the gutter space or element to beprotected. After fabrication into a given geometry, the urethane foammaterial will retain its resiliency and shape.

The foam by its composition is a “non-nutrient” media and therefore willnot rapidly be ingested by most microbial organisms. However, the foamcan be manufactured with antimicrobial chemical additives in an in situbasis that are fungicidal and/or bactericidal to further enhance theresistance of the foam to a number of attacks by naturally occurringbacteria, fungus, mold and mildew.

The high strength and durability that is an inherent function of thereticulation process, along with the additive enhancement possibilities,will allow for long-term exposure to both inclement weather and highwater conditions. In situ antimicrobial additives that may be used areavailable from suppliers like Troy Corporation (MERGAL and Polyphase),Mayzo, Inc. (BNX), Morton International, Inc. (BioPruf), and U.S. Borax,Inc. (Borogard Zb).

Effective antimicrobial amounts can range from 0.1 parts per hundredparts resin to 10 parts per hundred parts resin, on an in-situ basis.The additive level to be used would be determined by the strength andkill radius of the given biocide chosen.

In addition to antimicrobial additives, the fabricated foam parts can bein situ treated and/or post-cure coated in such a way to enhance theoverall UV stability of the material. Under normal conditions aUV-stabilizer additive can be made part of the foam matrix (in situ)during the foaming process. But, an external coating on the exposedsurfaces of the gutter filling material may protect the foam materialover a longer period of time and in more weather challenging conditionswhere high Ultraviolet exposure is apparent. In-situ UV stablizerpackages include Aceto Chemical Co. (BEHB), Burlington Biomedical andScientific Corp. (BurlOX), Great Lakes Chemical (Lowlite), Mayzon, Inc.(Benefos, BLS and BNX), and Uniroyal Chemical Co. (BLE).

Post cure UV stabilization can be achieved from EPDM rubber coatings,water based latex applications like SBR based materials and similarproducts from suppliers like Kelstar International, Miller—StephensonCompany and Rad-Cure Corporation.

Effective UV-stabilizers (in-situ) amounts can range from 0.1 parts perhundred parts resin to 10 parts per hundred parts resin. As in thebiocide case, the in-situ load level would be a function of thestabilizer selected and the pre-determined length of protectionrequired.

Post cure coatings can be applied to a any predetermined depth on theexposed surfaces of the foam. The coating depth can be from ⅛ inch to asmuch as 3.0 inches depending on the viscosity and coating efficiency ofthe material being applied.

In addition to the additives described in detail above, additional typesof additives may be beneficial. These include, but are not limited to,fire retardant additives and color additives. Fire retardant additivesimpart important safety characteristics to the foam. They may be used tomake the foam part of a fire safety system for a building. In any event,fire retardant additives can be used to at least prevent the foam frombeing a fire hazard. Suitable flame retardants are available from thesame manufacturers identified earlier herein relating to otheradditives. Color additives can be useful for a manufacturer and/orinstaller. They may even be used and preferred by an end-user. The useof a specific color in the foaming process may be used to differentiatespecific size or shape or other type of foam products. This improveshandling by the manufacturer. It may also make installation easier for acontractor. For instance, different widths or different shapes may beformed in different colors. An installer will know which color isrequired for a particular job. An end-user may desire a specific colorin order to make the insert less visible to anyone who might otherwiseview the inside of a gutter.

It can be seen from the attached drawings, and specifically FIGS. 2-4,that a urethane foam material is easily fabricated to fit any geometrythat a water channeling system for commercial and residential buildingsmight take. FIGS. 2-4 illustrate exemplary cross sections of foaminserts that may be used in K-style (FIGS. 2 and 4) and half-round (FIG.3) gutters. The key to the entire gutter filling system is the openporosity of the “thermally reticulated” urethane foam matrix and itsability to allow water passage as a function of its 97-98% voidconfiguration. The nature of the “open windows” of virtually everyurethane cell in the foam matrix allows the rainwater to pass easilythrough the foam and find its way to the bottom of the channel where itcan flow quickly and easily through the system. This water flow channelcan be produced by the specific configuration to which the foam isfabricated before it is placed inside the body of the channel. Thefoamed material can be cut on site, pre-fabricated or cut to order forspecific board foot or linear foot requirements for each and everyinstallation.

The formulation enhancements like UV-stabilizers, biocides, fungicidesetc. and color choices can be pre-determined and made part of theurethane foam matrix to be used for the installation before the foamever arrives at the specific job site. If at a given job site a highlevel of Ultraviolet protection is needed, the foam to be used can bepost-cure coated with an extremely effective UV protective coating forall exposed surfaces. The nature of the material allows for a multitudeof very specific product enhancement features that are either in situchemical additives or post cure secondary treatments to the exposed foamsurfaces as required. Whether the channels are half-round, K-Style,U-Shaped or Fascia materials, this flexible urethane reticulated foamcan be fabricated in a manner to accommodate any of these intricatechannel systems. In each case or geometric choice, the bulk of the foamwill be used to permit water passage from the roof, yet prevent debrisfrom entering the water channel. As the water passes through thereticulated foam matrix, it will fall to the bottom of the channel thathas been kept clean of all debris and has a reduced foam mass for rapidmovement of the water through the channeling system. With this design,the bottom of the channel is always open to the flow of rain water andthe top of the channel is protected from any leaves, pine needles, roofrunoff aggregate and the like from entering the flow path in the channeland clogging the entire system.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional perspective view of a gutter pin having aninsert 20 mounted in it. Gutter 10 is mounted under a roof 12 andincludes a down spout 15 for drainage of the water away from the houseor building. The insert 20 is made from reticulated polyurethane foam.The particular geometry of the foam insert 20 is as shown in FIG. 2. Thegeometry of the insert 20 allows for an open channel 25 to be formedunder the insert 20. The channel 25 is open to handle any increased flowin water that may result during heavy rain. The resilient and flexiblenature of the foam insert 20 allows for the insert to fill the width ofthe open trough of the gutter 10. It is important for the insert to haveat least substantially the same width as the gutter 10 in order to blockany foreign material from clogging the gutter.

The installation of the material can be done as a retrofit for existinggutter channels or as a new installation for new residential orcommercial buildings. When properly installed, the reticulated foammatrix material is invisible to the observer of the building, yet itprovides a protection for the water drainage system that is easy toinstall, and protects against clogged systems and improves the long termlife of the water channeling system.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments thereof, it will be understood that numerous variations,modifications and additional embodiments are possible, and all suchvariations, modifications, and embodiments are to be regarded as beingwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A gutter protection system comprising a reticulated foam insertadapted to fit within a gutter and further having at least substantiallythe same width as the gutter, and the foam insert comprising anantimicrobial additive.
 2. A gutter protection system as described inclaim 1, wherein the antimicrobial additive is incorporated in thereticulated foam.
 3. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1,wherein the antimicrobial additive is coated onto the reticulated foam.4. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, wherein theantimicrobial additive comprises a bactericide and a fungicide.
 5. Agutter protection system as described in claim 1, the foam insertfurther comprising a UV stabilizer additive.
 6. A gutter protectionsystem as described in claim 5, wherein the UV stabilizer additive isincorporated in the reticulated foam.
 7. A gutter protection system asdescribed in claim 6, wherein the UV stabilizer additive is coated ontothe reticulated foam.
 8. A gutter protection system as described inclaim 1, wherein the reticulated foam comprises reticulated polyurethanefoam.
 9. A gutter protection system as described in claim 1, the foaminsert further comprising a fire retardant additive.
 10. A gutterprotection system as described in claim 5, the foam insert furthercomprising a fire retardant additive.
 11. A gutter protection system asdescribed in claim 1, the foam insert further comprising a coloradditive.
 12. A gutter protection system as described in claim 5, thefoam insert further comprising a color additive.
 13. A gutter protectionsystem comprising; a reticulated foam insert adapted to fit within agutter and further having at least substantially the same width as thegutter, and the foam insert comprising a UV stabilizer additive.
 14. Agutter protection system as described in claim 13, wherein the UVstabilizer additive is incorporated in the reticulated foam.
 15. Agutter protection system as described in claim 14, wherein the UVstabilizer additive is coated onto the reticulated foam.